Heroic citizenship

Bibliographic Data

ID4947465
AuthorsBenjamin Boudou (0000-0003-2309-7303, Université de Rennes, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume28
Issue2
Pages129-149
Publication date2024-02-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCitizenship Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-1025 • E-ISSN: 1469-3593
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13621025.2024.2355157
OpenAlexW4396914951
LanguageEN
References cited53

This paper examines the issue of heroism as a sufficient condition for the acquisition of citizenship. I define heroism as exceptional, supererogatory, and risky acts of altruism and heroic citizenship as the reward for a heroic action carried out by a non-citizen resident of membership rights. I mobilize in particular the case of Mamoudou Gassama, ‘the Spiderman of Paris’, who was naturalized by the French President in 2018 after saving a child. While such positive outcomes for people in precarious legal and political situations are valuable, I provide a critical analysis of the ideological scaffolding and political meaning of heroic citizenship, i.e. how it is publicly justified and practiced. I argue that heroic citizenship constitutes a fiat of citizenship that reproduces a problematic picture of citizenship, relying on three ideological tropes: nationalism, sovereigntism, and moralism. Heroic citizenship represents the other side of a broader policy trend that has transformed citizenship into a privilege to earn

Citizenship · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Economic Sanctions and International Relations · Law · Leadership, Courage, and Heroism Studies · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being

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